Under the polished surface of professional tennis, a subtle tremor has begun to reverberate! The sound of silence has become a contentious issue in tennis, with the World No. 1 player, Iga Swiatek, sparking a heated debate on the subject after she lashed out at fans’ behavior at the French Open. Now, echoing the same emotion, a new voice has come out in support of the Pole, Tomasz Berkieta. Let’s hear it from Berkieta himself!

“I agree with what Iga said about the behavior of fans in Paris. I don’t like playing in complete silence. The atmosphere of a big tournament gives me a great experience. But there are limits. If tennis had been played in noise for decades, we would be able to play like this. However, it is not by accident that it is called a gentlemen’s game,” said the Legia Warsaw-based tennis player in an interview.

The 18-year-old tennis player further elaborated on how the constant shouting and exchanges during a game “is disturbing and take away from concentrating.” To him, “it’s just annoying.” It all stemmed from the second-round clash between Iga Swiatek and the former World No. 1 player Naomi Osaka. 

The encounter was a close one, and it was also an opportunity for one of of them to establish a lead over the other. And as the two digged deep, the audience, with their loud cheers and screams, made it difficult for the players to concentrate. Hinting at this, the 23-year-old player, who won that match (by 7-6,1-6,7-5) later protested in an interview, stating, “I’m sorry to even bring this [up]. I have huge respect for you guys [the fans] and I know that we are basically playing for you because this is entertainment and we’re also earning money because of you. But sometimes under a lot of pressure, when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really hard to focus.”

However, as Swiatek went ahead in the event, she experienced a shift in the crowd’s approach during her matches. Observing their calmer attitude, Swiatek later addressed the issue once again and hoped that the French crowd did not get “mad” at her. Since then, Swiatek, who won the French Open, did not encounter the same decibel of noise during her matches in Paris. 

But it ignited a debate in the tennis world, with many supporting her opinions, like Tomasz Berkieta himself. However, Paula Badosa had a distinct opinion, explaining why Iga Swiatek shouldn’t complain about the crowd. 

Paula Badosa’s strong take against Iga Swiatek’s complaints about the Paris crowd

The former World No. 2, Paula Badosa explained her struggles with noise on-court at the French Open while taking a dig at Iga Swiatek for complaining about it earlier. “Was this an issue these days,” the Spaniard said after hearing Swiatek’s request to the crowd. The 26-year-old player, who got eliminated in the third round, further hinted at how the four time French Open winner had the privilege of playing in one of the main show courts.

“I think she cannot complain, because I played Court 8 and 9 and you can hear everything. Like, I can hear Suzanne Lenglen, Philippe Chatrier, Court 6, 7 during the points,” Badosa said. A former quarterfinalist in Paris, Badosa is well aware of the louder atmosphere at the French Open and admitted that she was okay with it. However, when it came to Iga Swiatek’s complaint, she continued, “I think she’s very lucky she can play all the time on Philippe Chatrier and she’s okay with that.”

As the tennis world continues to grapple with the role of crowd noise in the sport, Berkieta’s endorsement of Swiatek’s view has added more weight to the argument. But let’s not forget as the season continues, more opinions on the subject are yet to come!